Saw She and Her Cat the other day. Its only like 5 mins long, and is sweet.I've also seen Angel Tales, which is ok, I wouldnt rave on about it though. Also, I'm half way through Welcome to the NHK, which I quite like, but then I got the book and lost interest in the anime. At the moment I just can't get into anything right now. Hmm.

Set in a not to distant future Ghost in the Shell is an impressive science fiction film that just happens to be animated, so don't be put off if you think "cartoons are for children". The film contains plenty of action and a plot which is up there with films like The Matrix, in fact this film was a major inspiration for The Matrix.

In this strange, almost dystopian, future some people have been augmented with cybernetic implants and other people are in fact fully cybernetic. One such person is Major Motoko Kusanagi, an officer working for Section Nine. They are a tasked with finding "The Puppetmaster" a mysterious computer hacker who has been hacking into people's implants to control them and even give them false memories.

While on the case Motoko questions the nature of her existence; while she may be artificial she is has both self awareness and emotions and is thus to all intents and purposes alive.

The animation is of a high standard and is filmed in a way that makes it feel more like a live action film, for example characters don't show exaggerated facial expressions like huge smiles that are impossibly large as one tends to get in animation. If fact the animation was such that I often forgot I was watching an animated film and enjoyed it as a great sci-fi thriller along the lines of Blade Runner or The Matrix. Some people might be put off by the nudity early on in the film although this is desexualised and is given some justification in the plot. If you like sci-fi I'd recommend giving this film a go even if you don't usually watch animated films.

These comments are based on watching the film in Japanese with English subtitles.

I don't know the song, but don't recall there being a song in it featuring the English title.

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence

Having watched the original Ghost in the Shell for the first time ago a couple of nights ago and really enjoying it I had high hopes for the sequel; unfortunately I don't think it lived up to the original, that is not to say it wasn't good, just not as good. Surprisingly one thing that put me off was the improved animation; quite often I found my self thinking about how well animated certain objects were rather than just sitting back and enjoying the story.

The story itself is pretty good; set three years after the original film the major is no longer around but her old partner, Batau, is back, this time he is partnered with Togusa, a less experienced officer who feels he will forever be in the major's shadow. Their case involves a series of murders where people have been killed by their cybernetic dolls. As they pursue those responsible they must confront violent Yakuza and a hacker who can seemingly effect their view of reality.

As mentioned before the animation is stunning to the point of distraction, like the first film there is a fair bit of philosophising which seemed a bit heavy handed but wasn't too bad. I also missed Major Motoko who was my favourite character in the first film, Batau made a good lead though. If you enjoyed the first film I'd certainly recommend that you watch this one too.

These comments are based on watching the film in Japanese with English subtitles.

Speaking of animes Red Headed Step Child, you guys get the feeling it is only a matter of time before we get a following series to NGE?

What with all the remakes and endless prethora of NGE themed anime merchandice it is only a matter of time.

Back when I was a fanfic author I wrote an NGE fic called "the play" in which the characters were forced to repeatedly rehearse a play that they would never perform. In my own mind it was a meta joke about how Eva did so much so differently it will never be able to escape itself. Little did I know what was to come.

Tweek: Second, third, or whatever on the GitS series, it is pretty excellent. Much better than the movie sequel.

Nix: I've said it before and I'll say it again. Three of the best anime series of all time:Irresponsible Captain Tylor (comedic space opera)Great Teacher Onizuka (legendary street thug turned high school teacher)Last Exile (no words, just win)

I can relate but I must object, the characters in last exile were barely children, it wasn't the generic child-hero achetypes so common in anime, at least in my opinion.

as for GTO, I can understand but really, GTO is truly excellent. Onizuka is the best and worst teacher rolled into one guy, one minute he is waterboarding a group of students, the next he's jumping off a building to save them. If you are haunted by any demons from high school, you should give it a chance. And if you're not haunted by any demons from high school, you can go fuck yourself.

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